Report: IDF counter-incitement unit filed 303 indictments in 2024 for online incitement, up from an average of 60-70

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) filed a record 300 indictments for incitement offenses in 2024, a dramatic increase from the average of 60-70 annual indictments in previous years. The highest number previously recorded was around 150, during the wave of stabbing and ramming terrorist attacks committed by Palestinians in 2015.

The steep increase in filings is not only due to a surge in incitement, but also to an increased focus on the issue: Following the Hamas-led massacre Oct. 7, 2023, the IDF Central Command established a specialized counter-incitement unit to fight public and online incitement to terrorism.

The unit is led by military prosecutors in the West Bank Division, and operates with the assistance of intelligence officers and operational teams under the command of Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth.

“There is no doubt we've seen a surge,” an unnamed senior official in the West Bank prosecution said. “Before the war, this issue fell through the cracks. It requires coordination between multiple agencies. Immediately after Oct. 7, we saw a sharp rise in online incitement, particularly among women, with people praising martyrs and glorifying Hamas' attack.”

The official added that indictments of incitement offenses are a complex issue legally speaking, as offenses – from a legal point of view – can be tricky to define.

“For example, someone wrote after Oct. 7, ‘a great and glorious act.’ On the surface, it looks like incitement, but it could be interpreted differently. We have to consider context and the use of certain phrases rather than just their literal meaning,” the official explained. 

To track incitement online, Israeli officials use technological tools, but simple screenshots are not sufficient.

“Once we detect incitement on a Facebook post, for instance, we need to ‘capture’ the entire page," the official said. “We scroll through past posts, gather as much evidence as possible to establish a pattern of incitement and link the page to a specific suspect. Then, we build an indictment under a defined legal provision.”

The IDF's counter-incitement unit has indicted several Palestinians for inciting violence and terrorism, including members of the band Al-Ibaa. This group is accused of praising the Oct. 7 invasion and massacre by singing songs that encouraged Hamas to carry out more acts of terrorism, such as the lyrics: "Advance, O Hamas, you strike fear into everyone. May God grant you victory."

The band has performed at various venues in the West Bank, including at the An-Najah University in Nablus, where the student council invited one of the singers to perform. 

In a separate case, a 50-year-old Palestinian woman from the village of Sanur in the northern West Bank was indicted for multiple posts of incitement on social media, including sharing an illustration of Hamas terrorists with the caption "Al-Aqsa Flood" – the name Hamas gave to its Oct. 7 attack.

In a separate post, she wrote, "Tel Aviv is burning. Praise be to God. May God guide our army’s fire,” accompanied by a green heart. Green is the signature color of Hamas.

Israel continues to closely monitor and prosecute online incitement, and efforts are expected to intensify, according to Ynet. 

Since Hamas launched the war on Israel, committing massacres, and taking hostages into the terror tunnels of Gaza, Central Command’s military commander issued a sentencing order of at least one year in prison for incitement with at least six months served behind bars.